Search continues for crashed plane in the Philippines

Search continues for crashed plane in the Philippines

No fewer than 300 rescuers continued the search on Sunday, for Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and his two pilots, after their small plane crashed into the sea while attempting an emergency landing.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said so far, only the tip of the right wing has been found.

Dozens of divers scoured the sea while helicopters and ships crisscrossed overhead. Troops and police searched along the coast and a U.S. Navy plane flew over the area to help look for the wreckage.

Also helping in the search was Robredo’s police aide, Jun Abrazado, who was the fourth person on the plane. He lost consciousness as the plane slammed into the water, but managed to swim out of the cabin when he came to and was rescued by fishermen.

The four-seat Piper Seneca took off on Saturday from central Cebu city, where Robredo had met local officials and was 30 minutes into the flight to his hometown of Naga city, where he was going to try to be with the youngest of his three daughters, who was to receive a medal for winning a swimming competition.

Transport Secretary Mar Roxas said of what was known so far: "One of two engines failed and the plane began to wiggle. The Filipino pilot and Nepali student co-pilot scrambled to land in Masbate province but missed the runway by about 500 meters (550 yards)."

President joins in search
On Sunday, President Benigno Aquino III, with his defense chief and the heads of the national police and the military, flew to Masbate, about 380 kilometers (235 miles) southeast of Manila, to oversee the U.S. military-backed search.
In the chaotic moment before the plane went down, Abrazado embraced Robredo and made sure their seatbelts were on, Roxas said.

“When he regained consciousness, he was still in the plane. The water had risen up to his chest in the cabin and he tried to grope for Sec. Jesse but could not find him. He swam out of the cabin,” Roxas stated.

At the time of the crash, the undercurrents were “very, very strong,” Roxas said.

“We hope he’s just floating somewhere, holding to a piece of debris or wood.”

According to Roxas, Abrazado was helping the search from his hospital bed by describing how the plane went down and where it was at the time. He was bruised and his arms were in a sling. The president visited him before joining the police, coast guard and army generals at a beach near the crash site where they poured over maps.

Missing official
Robredo, 54, is popular with the public for the reformist and clean image he has built in a country long exasperated with political patronage and corruption - social ills he has fought since entering politics as Naga City’s mayor in 1988.

In 2012, the Harvard-educated Robredo won a Ramon Magsaysay award, regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel prize for good governance. He is praised for remaining untainted by corruption and not abusing his powerful office like many politicians.

As interior secretary, Robredo oversees the national police and provincial governments, turning him into the most visible Cabinet member in charge of dealing with major natural disasters, crimes and insurgency-related crises that includes mass hostage-takings and attacks by al-Qaida-linked militants.
Cabinet officials and friends gathered in vigils late Saturday to pray for Robredo in Manila and in his residence in Naga city.

Hajia Sani